Coming Home
by glitzeybee
Summary: Natasha has gone MIA during a mission. Will the Avengers be able to get her home? What will life be like if they do? And why won't Clint just calm down?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. At all.

The Avengers were all sat around the high-tech conference table of room 203. From a distance, it would just look like any other meeting, the worlds mightiest heroes discussing fight tactics, or being handed missions. But inside that room, you only needed to take one look at the heroes to know that something was wrong. Each Avenger had a different expression; Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, no longer playboy but still a philanthropist was stony faced, his hand resting over his mouth and his brow furrowed, as if he was trying to work out a difficult problem. Steve Rogers, super soldier and war veteran, was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed and looking very pissed off. Bruce Banner, radiation expert and certified genius, looked as calm as ever, but there was something in his eyes that told everyone not to push him. Thor was absent, as he was in Asgard with his new wife Jane. That left the two master assassins, though only one was present. Clint Barton was the most pissed, and everyone could tell. His chair was currently lying overturned on the floor, next to a smashed water pitcher and a few glasses.

"How could this have happened?!" He yelled, overturning another chair.

"Calm down, Agent Barton, before I send for a team to remove you." Director Fury stepped through the door, hands behind his back, looking very weary.

"Oh, I'd like to see you try." He spat, kicking the table leg.

"Clint, calm down, we're going to find her." replied Bruce.

"Oh, we are, are we? Well then why isn't she here, sitting at this table with us?" He glared into the reflective surface of the table.

"That's a good question, Agent Barton, and we're here to solve it." Fury answered this time. "So sit down and shut up. "

Bruce pulled the chair beside him out, and Clint sat, muttering an apology to the doctor. Bruce nodded in acknowledgement; He understood what Clint was going through.

"Now, as we know, Agent Romanoff has been reported missing in action." Began Fury, walking to the front of the room. Clint's hand twitched, and balled into a fist on the table. If Fury noticed this, he didn't acknowledge it; he carried on. "We have managed to gain at least some information on her whereabouts." Clint looked up at this, and the air seemed to thicken; Tony leaned forward in his seat, Steve uncrossed his arms. Bruce put his glasses on. Again, if Fury noticed this change in atmosphere, he didn't acknowledge it, just carried on speaking. "She's close. Real close. We're sending a team out tonight. "

A wave of relief washed over Clint. He slumped in his seat, and ran a hand through his hair. "Well then, I better go pack," he said, standing up. Despite the relief that came with the news, he couldn't allow any sort of hope to spring up yet. They could have been misinformed, it could be a trap, or she could be dead. No, he though, mentally slapping himself. You are not allowed to think like that.

Fury sighed. "Not you, Barton. You're staying right here. "

Tony groaned. They had been so close to calming down!

"What do you mean I'm staying right here? There is no way in hell I'm staying here!"

"Agent Barton, I suggest you calm down, or I will have you sedated."

"Yes, sir." He spat through gritted teeth. He then proceeded to storm out, knocking over three chairs in the process. Fury sighed. It was going to be a long night.

A/N: So... I decided to write a long fic! Huzaah! So there will be more chapters. I wouldn't just leave you on a cliffhanger, would I? Reviews are very much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Avengers.I do, however, own the new Marvel FactFiles magazine.

Natasha didn't know where she was. And she knew that this was never a good thing. Everything was pretty dark, but a quick swipe of her had in front of her face told her she wasn't blind, but wherever she was was just dark. She ran over what happened in her head. She was... where was she? New York, right. Close to home mission. She squinted in the darkness, trying to remember what happened next. She must've passed out. That would explain why it was so difficult remembering anything. She focused on an old trick Clint had taught her, to try and remember what she had for breakfast and work up from there. Clint had made her eggs for breakfast. Okay. Then she got ready and took her bag to the quinjet. Also okay. She said goodbye to everyone, then they left. She carried on thinking, trying to ignore the pain in her chest every time she though of Clint, until she reached her goal. She was in the left side of the building, and there was an explosion... That was all she could remember. That was it. She guessed she must have been unconscious, and the other team got her. Great. Now it was time to check for injuries.

She knew as soon as she moved her arm there was something wrong. A shooting pain ran right through her chest, making her drop her arm again. Breathing heavily, she tried again, slowly this time. She counted three broken ribs, a sprained ankle, several gashes on her legs and arms and a worryingly large lump near her right temple. A noise behind her had her reaching for her pistols, to find that they weren't there. Great. She thought. It couldn't get much worse. She was injured, unarmed, and by the looks of her left leg, she wouldn't be walking anywhere soon. She heard a sort of rumbling overhead, A familiar rumbling. She could've sworn she'd heard it before...

And that's when the wall in front of her was blasted apart.

Her arms automatically flew up over her head, making her ribs feel like they were being ripped apart. Once she was sure there would be no more blasts, and there was no more flying debris, she let her arms drop. The hole in the wall was now letting in the blinding light from outside. She blinked rapidly, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the new light. Once her eyes had adjusted and the dust had cleared, she looked up to see something she never thought she'd be glad to see.

Stark.

"You took your time," She croaked. "We had a hard time finding you." Steve emerged from behind him, clad in his suit with his shield in hand. He kneeled in front of her and said "Natasha, I need you to focus on me, okay?" She tried to nod but her head was spinning and her vision was clouded. She looked down, looking for a reason she should be feeling like this; She found it. A pool of deep red blood was forming on the floor, underneath the thick piece of metal that had become wedged in her side. She had enough time to see Steve notice, and mutter "Shit." Before she blacked out.

**A/N: **Don't worry, it won't stay sad for long... Or will it? Muahaha! I'm sorry this chapter was so short. Thank you to all the lovely people who have followed, reviewed and favorited!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The Avengers? Nope, don't own 'em.

Clint wasn't angry. He'd passed that point long ago. Just after he was told by Fury he could not be on Natasha's rescue team for "Undisclosed reasons." What kind of explanation was that?! No details, no actual reasons- just some bullshit line Fury uses when he wants to get someone off his case. He was past the Smash-everything-up stage, the Yell-at-everyone-who-looks-at-you stage, and was now just sitting in the rafters near the hangar, waiting. If an outsider saw him, they would probably just think it was Agent Barton, doing his usual surveillance from a distance thing. Except he wasn't. He was just Clint. Not brave, heroic Hawkeye. Not cold, detached Agent Barton. Just Clint. A guy who's partner had been kidnapped, who was waiting for her to come home, praying for her to come home. Terrified for her, terrified that she wouldn't come home, that she was injured, that she was dead, that the Red Room had found her, that some other unknown enemy had found her. Not knowing anything was driving him crazy.

He stayed up in the rafters for a while, and with every second his worry grew, until he couldn't stand waiting any longer. He stood up, meaning to go down to Fury's office and demand an update, when he heard the familiar beeping that meant "Get the hell off the runway, there's a plane landing." He was flooded with relief, though it was short lived; As he started his descent from the rafters, he saw an emergency medic team barge through the double-doors at the back of the hangar and rush to the side of the now landed jet. Fear stabbing through him once again, he took off running towards the plane, and saw Steve emerging, covered in blood, and carrying a very pale, barely conscious Natasha; Stark followed, helmet off and talking quick-fire into his earpiece.

"What the hell happened?!" he yelled, helping lower Natasha onto the hospital bed that had been wheeled in with the emergency team. The white sheets where immediately stained red from the blood still pouring from her side. "She was in a warehouse, bad guys blew a wall up, we got in, she had metal in her stomach, I'll explain later, okay?" Tony walked alongside Clint as they wheeled the bed through the base, towards the hospital wing. Natasha's eyes were fluttering open and closed, her face screwed up in pain, yet no sound escaped her lips. Clint knew her, knew how she thought that expressing pain made her seem weak. As the dark walls of the base transformed into the clean, white walls of the hospital, Clint decided he should tell Natasha where they were going. She probably already knew, but still, he didn't want her to get any more upset. He leaned over the bed rail and said "Nat, were taking you to the hospital, but I promise you, no-one's going to hurt you, okay?" She opened eyes again, and muttered "I don't care where I'm going, Birdbrain, just patch me up, okay?" Clint smiled and shook his head. There she was , lying on a hospital bed, almost bleeding to death, and she could still insult him.

"Okay. You're going into the operating room now. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay. See ya, Birdbrain."

He watched the doctors wheel the bed into the operating room, and hoped for their sakes that she forget where she was. He turned to Tony. "Okay. Explanation. Now."

A/N: asdfghjkl; I'm trying to make this good. Is it good? I hope so. A big thank-you to all the lovely people who favorited, reviewed and followed. I'm sorry this chapter's so short. Reviews are always appreciated!


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